Kingdom of Frost
by Gweniveve Skyes
Summary: A trainer finds herself captured by a monster and caught in the midst of a conspiracy to reunite the Beasts of Truth and Ideals, all while trying to untangle herself from an unusual love triangle; appearances aren't what they seem...Hints of N/Touko
1. Prologue

Kingdom of Frost

** Le Gasp! A new story, from me! I know, it's a scary thought, but we can get through this. Lol.**

** The inspiration for the story came from playing Pokemon White(I've logged over 200 hours, btw) and I was intrigued by Kyurem's story. I was fascinated by the snippets of backstory it had, and the potential for it, especially of the theories behind it. Unfortunately, Kyurem seems to get shafted when it comes to being depicted here. I've only found one good story about Kyurem ( called _ClicheStorm_ and it's very amusing). So those two factors, plus some help from the plot tribbles, helped create this story.**

** The story is a bit of a twisted version of "Beauty and the Beast", and has some romantic hints, but not the pairs you were expecting. :)**

** So sit back, kick up your feet and stay awhile, because it'll be a fun ride!**

**~Gwen**

**.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.**

_He hadn't been born a monster._

_ Once, he was whole, light and dark, truth and ideals._

_ He was once the guardian to a mighty king, who had ruled the land with a kind and just hand, his rule spreading to all corners of Unova. He was the King's protector and advisor, embracing both truth and ideal, for without one, you cannot have the other._

_ But the King-as like all mortals-grew old and he passed away, for his soul to be judged by Giratina. His death left the kingdom in a flux and in a desperate effort to save the kingdom, the nobles decided to have his two sons share the kingdom. Thus, the Kingdom was saved by the two sons of the King, who vowed to rule Unova the same it had before, justly and fair._

_ He watched it all with indifferent eyes, for mortals and kingdoms came and went like the leaves on an oak, passing from life to death._

_ He wished he had watched them more carefully though._

_ The choice to share the kingdom became a poor one, as the two brothers fought and the kingdom was teetering on the edge of war._

_ And he had been caught in the middle._

_ The older of the two stood for the truth, for without the truth, there would be chaos and anarchy._

_ The younger brother stood for ideals, for without ideals, one has nothing to guide them and they become aimless and listless._

_ Both of the brothers turned to him in hopes for his support, but he could not take sides._

_ But his soul could._

_ He soul, embodying both ideals and truth, tore itself in two, each side wishing to help its fellow charges._

_ Then, by powers unforeseen, he rent himself in two and he found himself no longer one form, but two._

_ Reshiram, The Vast White Pokemon: The embodiment of truth and siding with the older brother._

_ And Zekrom, The Deep Black Pokemon: The embodiment of ideals and siding with the younger brother._

_ He was left with nothing, just a corpse and memories of what had been._

_ The force of the separation sent the body flying, away from the two brothers, only to land __outside a hamlet known as Lacunosa Town, his corpse covered in ice crystals._

_ Arceus, the All-Father and Creator of the Universe, wept at the death of one of his children, only to be left with two more children, Reshiram and Zekrom. Balance must be kept though, Arceus realized._

_ So Arceus went to his broken child and went to his corpse. The All-Father said these words to him:_

_ I cannot give you what you once had, for I cannot undo time and save you from this agony. But I can do this for you, I can give you life. It will not be the life you once had though, for I cannot unmake what was broken. I'm sorry for this, but this is the least I can do for you." The All-Father breathed life back into his broken corpse and the frozen carcass was mad anew again. the ice crystals that had formed on his body during his flight downward were now a part of his essence, what had remained, at least. The memories of his past echoed in his mind like raindrops falling in a cave pond, empty and holding the ghosts of what had been._

_ "I must give you a name," Arceus said on newly reborn ears. "For your old one will not do. I name you-_

_ "Kyurem._

_ "You must represent the essence of nothingness, the absence of what you held. You are the balance keeper." The All-Father looked upon him with mournful eyes._

_ "I am sorry, my child." He departed, leaving him in the crater he fell from._

_ And for the first time, he wept for what he had lost, He didn't weep when the old King died and he didn't weep when his soul was sheared in two, but he wept now._

_ The tears that fell though,we not tears of water, but of ice, that fell from his scarred and mutilated visage, and shattered into thousands of pieces when they struck the ground._

_ Angry and bitter, he retreated into a nearby cave and perfected his control of ice, venturing outside only to eat._

_ The village of Lacunosa called him a monster and hid away at night, for fear of being devoured by the beast, shivering when a cold north-eastern wind blew, reminding the mortals of his presence._

_ What he didn't realize though, was that a spark of his true essence hid deep down inside his soul, waiting to be nurtured and set free._

_ Whether he wished for this to happen remained to be seen._


	2. Chapter 1: Legend of the King

Chapter 1: Legend of the King

She wandered the edges of Lacunosa Town, thinking. The forests and the rough terrain were silent this autumn day, with nary a sound uttered, save for the crunching of leaves under Olivia Touko Rion, who wandered the copses of trees, no purpose in mind. The day was stretching into the late afternoon, the blue sky darkening with the slow descent of the sun.

She had journeyed into the town, hearing rumors of strong pokemon, strong opponents for her team to train against. She fiddled with the pokeballs on her belt as she contemplated this; her brother Hibert, better known as "Hil", had told her of this and her curiosity piqued, she decided to travel to the sleepy town, hoping for better prospects in life than what she had now, traveling aimlessly through life.

The white washed walls of Lacunosa Town loomed over the trees like a silent monolith; she suspected that the walls were old and beautiful when the sun set, splashing them with color. A policeman met her at the entrance of the town, standing by an arch, the thick wooden doors held ajar. He looked as if he just finished his patrol for the day and was only resting.

"Careful miss," he warned her as she came close. "It's dangerous to be out so late."

Olivia glanced upwards. "It's not that late," she countered, much to the policeman's scowl.

"You're not from here, are you?"

She shook her head. "No, I came here because my twin brother said that it was a good place to train."

"It is, during the day."

"What do you mean?"

He ignored her question "You better get inside before the gate shuts for the night. "There's a Pokemon Center in the town square if you need a place to sleep." He sounded terse and annoyed with her questions.

Olivia nodded in gratitude. "Thank you. Have a good night." she skittered past him as he snorted at her. It would appear that she made a poor impression on him. "Either that or I just happened to cross him on a very bad day." The Pokemon Center loomed over the old and quaint buildings of Lacunosa Town, the shiny red and white roof indicative of this. As she passed the buildings, she could see the wary eyes of the residents as they gazed at her through partially closed windows. Maybe they were suspicious of her, she guessed. Or they weren't used to villagers.

She crossed the town square, past the fountain that gurgled sluggishly, sputtering water in bursts. Like everything else in the village, it too, was white, marble to be exact, with veins of black and gray running through it. Curious to get a look of the town she would be staying in, Olivia decided to sit on the edge of the fountain, to get her moorings before she became hopelessly lost. She had a horrible habit of ending up lost. Cheren, her friend, swore that she could get lost in a paper bag._ "I probably could too," _ she laughed at herself. The fountain burbled behind her, as if agreeing with her presumptions.

Olivia adjusted her pink and white cap-a gift from another friend, Bianca—and took a good hard look at the village. It was built of clean lines and straight roads. Some of the houses had multiple stories, with large patios and verandas. It looked as if it was used for some other purpose other than what it did now, which intrigued her. But the town was quiet and still, almost stagnent, and it struck her as odd. Even in places like her hometown of Alcumula Town, there was _some_ activity at this time of day. Here, there was nothing. In fact, other than the police officer and the glimpses of onlookers, she didn't see anybody out, something that made her uneasy.

"Maybe I better get out of this place while I still can," she muttered. She reached for her shoulder bag, which she had taken off as she sat, and headed for the Pokemon Center, praying that she didn't get lost along the way.

The sliding doors of the Pokemon Center opened as she stepped inside, amazed at the cleanliness of the place. The Center was empty, save for the Nurse Joy at the counter and the Audino at her side. There were no trainers, no guests at any of the chairs or tables. A television blared in the corner of the room, shattering the eerie silence. Along one of the wall were stone panels, with carvings of fantastic beasts. The Nurse Joy, who had been reading a newspaper, perked up at Olivia's approach.

"Welcome to the Pokemon Center," she greeted happily, as if she was overjoyed to have guests. "What can I do for you?"

"I'd like a room please," Olivia answered, handing over her trainer card. All trainers carried one, for both identification and registration, among other things.

The Nurse Joy took the card and slid it through a machine attached to the computer. "Are you Olivia Rion?"

"Yes ma'am."

"It has been a while since we received any travelers," Nurse Joy lamented, handing the card back to Olivia. "All I've been getting are sniffles and colds from the residents' pokemon. No trainers."

"No trainers?" Olivia asked, curious.

Nurse Joy nodded. "We haven't received a trainer in quite a few months. The last one was about six months ago. We haven't heard anything from him since." she shrugged. "I guess he moved on to another town." Olivia sensed that she wanted to add something more, but decided not too, which piqued Olivia's curiosity.

"Why haven't there been any more trainers?"

Nurse Joy pointed to the stone panels on the western wall. "That's why." Depicted on the panels was a monstrous beast like creature, with a massive head and jagged wings that protruded from his back. Despite the primitive design, Olivia could sense the power lurking underneath the bestial facade. "That's Kyurem, the Frost King. According to legend, he is the master of ice and snow and at night, he travels here to hunt."

"Kyurem? I've never heard of him."

"Very few have. Many dismiss him as a local legend, with some skeptics claiming that "Kyurem" is nothing more than some dragon type that got loose and lived in the woods since." Nurse Joy shook her head. "But I shouldn't be worrying you. Do you need anything? Food, healing for your pokemon?"

"Well, I am a bit hungry and I think my pokemon need to stretch their limbs."

"I have some pizza in the oven. It's not much but then again, it's been very quiet."

"I'm okay with pizza." Olivia reached for her pokeballs, releasing them one by one. "Come on out guys!"

Six flashes of light appeared, revealing the silhouettes of six pokemon. Nurse Joy could pick out the forms of a Samurott, Sawsbuck, Krookodile and Archeops, but the last two were not as unfamiliar to her. "What are those two pokemon?" Nurse Joy asked. "They don't look like Unova Pokemon."

"Oh, that's Ceasar, my Infernape," Olivia pointed to a monkey like pokemon, studded with golden armor like protrusions, carrying a staff that looked well worn with use. "And that's Hoplon, my Bastiodon." Her finger went to a ceratopsian pokemon, tan and gray, with a broad shield like face and two horns jutting just above her eyes. "My twin brother—the family's little training prodigy," Olivia nearly spat the last part. "Was chosen to be a part of a foreign exchange program with the professor in Sinnoh. So he traveled in Sinnoh for a bit and he sent me back a Chimchar—that's Ceasar's beginning form—and a Shieldon for me. The others are Joan, my Samurott; Rannoch, my Sawsbuck; that one is Oakley, the Krookodile, and Achilles, the Archeops—Rannoch! Stop eating the plants!" The deer pokmone looked at her guiltily, his tail drooping and bowing his head, his antlers crowned with the red leaves of autumn.

"Your pokemon look very healthy to me," Nurse Joy smiled. "You should be proud."

"I am, when they aren't driving me mental." Olivia's stomach growled and she flushed, chagrined. "Um, can I have that pizza now?"

.-.-.-.-.-.-..-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

Olivia sat on the edge of the bed, sated with her meal of oven cooked pizza and whatever else Nurse Joy let her have, which included a bowl of chocolate chip ice cream. It would seem that Nurse Joy was much more lonely than expected, Olivia thought as she tugged out the scrunchie from her hair. Thick and a chestnut brown, it always was unmanageable, at least to Olivia it was, hence, the pony tail. Her mother always told her it was her best feature, along with her blue eyes, while Olivia dubbed it "The Mane", unruly and untamed as it was. She wondered as she brushed her hair, if she could cut it short in a cute bob like Bianca's, just to save the trouble of managing it,

She had long since changed out of her traveling clothes—a white tee with shorts and hiking boots—and into her pajamas, a white tank top with a pair of pajama bottoms, dotted with dancing mareep and miltanks. She set the brush aside and pulled out the Xtranceiver to give Bianca a call. After dealing with the residents of the town, coupled with the legend of a monster lurking about the town, she needed a dose of sanity. She dialed the number, praying that Bianca would answer.

"Hello?" Bianca's sleepy visage appeared on the screen and Olivia gave a sigh of relief. "Olivia, is that you?"

"Hey Bianca, what's shake'n'bakin'?" Olivia fell back on the bed, Xtransceiver in hand.

"Olivia, that is such a cheesy phrase, but I'm doing okay, just hanging out at the lab. How are things on your end?"

"I just crashed at the Pokemon Center here at Lacunosa Town. I heard it was a good place to train, so I decided to stay here for a bit."

"Still trying to attempt to beat the League?"

Olivia frowned at the remark. "Trying to, at least. In case you didn't hear, I got trounced again by Alder. I don't know how Hil did it."

"He's just really good, that's all. It's weird though that he didn't decide to become Champion."

"Gee thanks, that's the last thing I need, to be compared to the _Champion_."

"Sorry. I'm not trying to put you down or anything."

"I know Bianca. It's just I get tired of always being compared to my brother, that's all. Just because we're twins doesn't mean that we oughta be always compared to each other."

"You did dismantle Team Plasma by yourself _and_ get chosen by Reshiram you know. You should be proud of that."

"No one's going to hear about it."

"I did, and so did Cheren."

Olivia smiled. "Thanks Bianca."

"Somebody has to keep your pessimism in check. You need to come back and visit though. It gets boring without you or Cheren. I need somebody to paint nails with." she teased.

Olivia pulled a face. "You know that I don't like to paint my nails. Is Cheren still a hobo on the mountain top?"

"Yeah, he's almost as bad as you. At least he visits occasionally, unlike somebody I know. Cheren owes me an ice cream too."

"I know, I know. It's..it's just that I still need to, you know, find my place, what I want to do. Hil is busy being, well Hil, you work with Professor Juniper and Cheren wants to be the next Champion. Me, I don't know what I want to do."

"I thought you wanted to be a Champion too."

"Everybody does." Olivia waved a hand. "But not everybody is cut out for it."

"But it never hurts to try it."

"Since when did you become so wise?" Olivia joked.

"Since I started hanging out with Professor Juniper. And I'm not _that_ wise."

"I know, because who else would complain about Cheren owing them an ice cream."

"Well he does!"

Olivia pursed her lips, as if wondering about something. "Bianca?"

"Yeah?"

"Can you ask Professor Juniper about something for me?"

"Fire away."

"At Lacunosa Town, everybody is weirded out by some kind of pokemon-monster-like thing called "Kyurem". Can you ask the Professor to see if she knows anything about it, if she's even heard about it?"

"'Kyurem'? That sounds like a noise someone would make if they sneeze. "Kyurem!" "Oh, bless you!" "Why thank you!"" Bianca made faces as she went through her little skit, causing Olivia to break into peals of laughter.

"So...much for...you...being wise," Olivia said between laughs. "Thanks."

"No prob. Do you want me to tell you if she knows, or do you want Professor Juniper to tell you?"

"Either one would do. Thanks again for your help." Olivia glanced at the clock. "Well, it's getting late on my end, I guess we better get to bed, huh?"

"You're telling me. I was in bed when you called."

"I noticed. Night Bianca."

"Night Olivia, and don't forget about visiting us, because I don't have anybody to..."

"I know, I know. Night Bianca." Olivia shut the Transciever off and shoved it back into the bag.

The night sky was pouring in through the windows of her room, bathing everything with a silvery light. Feeling lonely, she pulled out the pokeball of Joan, her Samurott and let the otter pokemon out of the ball. "Hey Joan," she cooed to the warrior pokemon. "Wanna sleep with me tonight, just like old times?" Joan snorted, the long white whiskers on her snout quivering and clambered onto the bed, moving her head to avoid skewering Olivia on the large barbed spike that made up her "helmet". She rested her head on Olivia's head and her trainer absentmindedly stroked the deep blue fur of Joan's neck.

Her hand accidentally brushed against another pokeball in the belt next to her bag and Olivia paused, hand hovering over Joan's neck. With her free hand, she reached over and plucked it off the belt. It was violet on one half, white on the other. Two circles of pink appeared on the top half, with a "M" was painted in white in between the two circles. It was a Master Ball that she had used to capture Reshiram, in order to defeat N and Team Plasma, but after the battle, she decided to release the Legendary, feeling that she didn't deserve to have the dragon pokemon. It would have been unfair to keep it on her team. So, one day, she went out to the woods and released Reshiram. Ironically though, the ball didn't break, as balls were wont to do when they go through the ordeal.

"I wonder if it was the right choice," Olivia said. Joan, annoyed that her trainer decided to stop petting her, glared at the Master Ball and snorted derisively, as if answering Olivia's question for her.

"You're right," Olivia said with a bitter laugh. "I mustn't worry about stupid things like that. I made the right choice, so I shouldn't regret it, right?"

Joan nodded.

"You are much wiser than me." Oliva hugged the otter pokemon around the neck. Joan rumbled in her throat, please. "Night Joan." Olivia settled under the covers of the bed while Joan rested her head on Olivia's abdomen, content.

Her eyes slowly began to close when suddenly, a scream ripped through the night. Olivia jumped out of the bed, heart hammering in her chest, hand reaching for her pokeballs. Joan leaped off as well, standing on her hind legs and grabbing the shell blade that were tucked away on her forearms. The scream was gutteral, throaty; a noise that no human could make naturally. It rang in her ears, like rusty knives on a chalkboard or ice cracking. The scream was heard once, twice more, each longer and higher pitched than before. Did Kyurem make off with another victim, as the story went? Or was it something else entirely?

Olivia went to the window and peeked outside, like a child would, waiting for Santa Claus. Nobody was running outside to investigate the noise; they must be used to it by now.

"Or they're too frightened to even get out of bed." Olivia shivered to herself, the echoes of the bestial scream running through her head like a broken tape player. After a while, she managed to steady herself enough to crawl back into bed. It took even longer for Joan to sheathe her shell blades and crawl back into bed.

Before she went to bed though, Olivia checked to see if the windows were locked.

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_He stirred from his lair, sensing something wasn't right. He lifted his head off the ground and sniffed at the air. The air tonight seemed different, what it was to cause such a thing, he wasn't sure. He inhaled once more, feeling the heat from the air cool to subzero temperatures in his sinuses. The air seemed richer, unknown, like a memory from the past that was mere shadows, teasing him in his faulty memory..._

_ . . .That was it._

_ The air was filled with the taint of what he had once been. The air was filled with the taint of truth-_

_ -Of Reshiram._

_ He gnashed his teeth and bellowed with rage. How dare they come into his territory! He did not need reminders of his past, to taunt him, to haunt him. He screeched with rage and the air dropped to subzero temperatures, flash freezing everything within the vicinity. Using his deformed wings, he flapped outside and on top of the rock formation that he called his home. He screamed once again and the air was filled with ice crystals, covering the trees, the rocks, the bushed, with a thick rime. Wild pokemon fled from his presence and huddled close together for warmth and protection from him. He screeched a second time and ice covered all that was in his territory with the frost. Reshiram wouldn't dare to enter his territory now._

_ He would show them! How dare they!_

_ He bellowed a third time, this one of regret and mourning. The screams faded to an echo, only to be swallowed by the night. He surveyed his territory, the scent of winter in his nostrils, the stench of truth and Reshiram gone. He slowly made his way back down, flapping and hopping like a bird. _

_ It would take hours for the pokemon to be back to normal._

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**A couple of fun facts :)**

** Yes, Olivia is based off of White/Hilda in the games. She was originally going to be called "Sarah", after the girl in my game, but a lot of people were using that name, so I went with Olivia. Her last name, "Rion", is "Noir" backwards, which is French for "Black".**

** Her Samurott, Joan, is named for Saint Joan of Arc, the female warrior who defeated the British in the Hundred Year War and was burned at the by the Roman Catholic Church after being accused of heresy. Her infernape, Caesar, is named for Caesar in "The Planer of the Apes". **

** See if you can guess the meaning of the names of the other ones :)**

**Like it? Love it? Absolutely loathe it? Send a review to express your opinion!**

**~Gwen :)**


	3. Chapter 2: The Frost King

Chapter 2: The Frost King

The following morning left her on edge. She dreamed of shapeless monsters with square heads and screams of rusty knives. Dragons of black and white clashed and breathed fire and lightning, adding to the miasma that was her subconscious. She did not sleep well that night. Olivia shivered and realized that during her fitful night, she had kicked the blankets and sheets off the bed. Joan had decided to sleep on the floor, just in case. Either that or Olivia accidentally kicked her off during the night while she tossed and turned.

"Coffee," Olivia grumbled, noticing her cracked voice and sensing the bags under her eyes. She must have talked more with Bianca than she realized. She hurriedly ran her fingers through her thick hair to get some semblance of order and left the room. Joan followed behind her, as a dog would follow their master. In this case though, it was out of protection after the incident the night before. It still gave Olivia chills.

She slowly tread down the steps to be greeted by Nurse Joy. "Did you sleep well?" At the shake of Olivia's head, Nurse Joy nodded sagely. "You heard the screams then."

"Yeah. Was that...was that Kyurem?"

"I think so. You can look outside and see for yourself."

Intrigued, Olivia wandered towards the sliding doors. She gasped at the sight. Everything was covered in a thick white rime and the air seemed bitterly cold, even though the sky was clear with the bright blue of autumn and the sun was beginning to melt the frost, creating puddles on the ground, water dripping from the laden branches. "Whoa." she breathed. "Did he do this"?

"It has happened once or twice in the past couple years. The most recent was right before Ghetsis was arrested, actually." Nurse Joy admitted. "Now that I think about it."

"Why would Kyurem do such a thing?"

Nurse Joy shrugged. "Because, he is nothing more than a monster who take pleasure in scaring away all of our tourists and trainers." she added. "Would you like some coffee, or tea?"

"Coffee, please."

Nurse Joy nodded and handed her a steaming hot mug, the stream rising in tendrils and caressing Olivia's face, the scent perking her up. She took a sip, grateful for the warmth after last night. It was soothing and percolating, all at once. "This is good. Thank you."

"You're welcome." Nurse Joy poured herself a mug and sat down on one of the couches. "So, what do you plan on doing today? There are some cute stores and restaurants around here."

"I was going to do some training today. That's why I came here in the first place."

"You're going out, especially after today?"

"I'm not going to let that scare me out of training." Olivia argued, feeling incensed. "If Kyurem wants to scare me away, he's going to do better than that." She was tempted to tell the Nurse that she faced down both Ghetsis and N, claiming the trust of the Beast of Truth, Reshiram, but the chances of the Nurse believing her were slim to none. Besides, the woman already thought she was nuts, judging by the expression on her face; the last thing Olivia needed was to be hauled off to the nearest insane asylum because she spouted off such "nonsense".

"Kyurem isn't a normal pokemon; he is a living force of nature, the embodiment of ice and winter." The Nurse sounded fearful and Olivia couldn't blame her, after seeing what Kyurem could do within a span of a night.

"If you're so fearful of him, then why did you come here?" Olivia snapped, irritable and moody, the balming effects of the coffee gone.

"I came here to help people and pokemon, because no one else would do it," Nurse Joy scowled and Olivia seemed to shrink back in herself. "They were too scared to do it," she added quietly.

"The other Nurses?"

Nurse Joy nodded and Olivia felt ashamed. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to snap. There's just been a lot on my plate recently. I wanted to go out somewhere, where I could clear my mind and refocus myself, find my place."

"There's no need to be ashamed of yourself. Everybody's been on edge. Maybe you can capture Kyurem," Nurse Joy said with a forced laugh. "Then everything would be okay then and maybe people would come back."

"Maybe," Olivia laughed as well, feeling like a horrible actor in a shoddily written play. "Maybe I will catch it _Somehow, I highly doubt that."_

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

Olivia wandered the woods around Lacunosa Town, on Route 13. How ironic that a number deemed unlucky would lead up to the supposed home of Kyurem, The Frost King. Giant Chasm was to be the home of various strong pokemon, including ones that were not usually native to Unova. The story went that they were the isolated populations of pokemon brought from the regions of Sinnoh and Hoenn by the original settlers of Unova; however as time passed and the settlers of Unova grew accustomed to the to the native pokemom, the pokemon brought with them were eventually abandoned and they banded together in this region, known for its isolation from large population centers, as if they were angry with the ancestors that abandoned them. Curiously though, they were not out today, the woods as silent as a graveyard, a disconcerting sight.

Olivia could pity them and understand their anger. Some days, it was she too was abandoned, shunted aside in favor of her "perfect" twin, the one who could do no wrong.

She reached for a pokeball and summoned Joan, desiring the comfort f her starter. Joan, sensing her trainer's distress, nudged her in the hip, avoiding skewering her trainer on the harpoon as she got a scratch under the chin. The air was still cold, the sun barely penetrating the rime coated on the trees. The ground was wet and spongy though, as the sun had already melted the frost liberally spread on the ground. The autumn scenery would have been a sight to see, if she were able to see the rich colors sealed away under the ice. The landscape looked more like it was trapped in the throes of midwinter rather than the edge of fall.

She wondered for a moment to get Caesar out, who could handle the colder weather as a fire type rather than Joan, who was a water type, but if wild Samurotts lived under thick ice floes and hunted their prey with their shell swords, then Joan could handle the brisk weather, even though she would probably protest about it later. Olivia wished she brought a thicker coat though, as her jeans and tee/jean jacket combo were not warm enough for the biting temperatures.

"Whoa!"She slipped suddenly on a rock ledge and she stopped herself by grabbing onto a thick knobbly tree root that protruded outwards. The ledge dropped at least seventy-five below her and she could see the tops of the trees underneath her; she must have come across Giant Chasm, home of Kyurem. Joan snorted in alarm and reached down, exposing the horn on her shell helmet. With her free hand, Olivia scrambled for the horn, finally grasping onto the horn, feeling the cool smooth surface. Then, with her other hand, she let go of the tree root and clung onto the horn. The horn slipped from Joan's head somewhat and Olivia froze. "Why don't I just get Achilles instead?" she asked herself. Slowly and careful to not lose her precarious balance.

"Achilles, help us out!" A colorful, winged raptor like pokemon appeared, with a scaly head and neck, with feathers around the base of his neck and the tip of his strong cord-like tail. He hovered over Olivia, unsure what to do. "Achilles, come closer so I can grab your talons!" Achilles flapped closer, talons clenched tightly as to not gouge his trainer. Olivia reached out and grabbed Achilles by the ankle and he squawked in alarm, startled. He understood what she was trying to do and after cautiously unclenching his talons, wrapped them delicately around Olivia's wrist in a strong but gentle grip. Olivia, now secure, let go of Joan's helmet and grabbed Achilles other ankle, repeating the movements. Achilles then flew upwards, depositing her back onto safe ground. Olivia slumped to the ground in relief and returned Achilles to his ball,thanking him for his good work.

"Let's not do that again, shall we?" she laughed weakly, still shaking after the ordeal. Joan shook her head. Curious, Olivia crept out to the ledge, just to get a better look at the landscape. The area dropped off suddenly to reveal a bowl like depression, densely populated with trees and jagged rocks. A thick layer of fog rested over the area like a heavy grey blanket. "So that's Giant Chasm," Olivia said in wonder. If she were an artist or a professional photographer, than she would have taken a picture to capture the image. It was like looking into the maw of a dangerous beast, which was a poor choice of words if Olivia thought so.

She looked to her left, then to her right, hoping for a safe passage down, rather than another ride on Achilles. There were no visible passages save one way down to her right, a steep slope that wound its way through sharp grey-black rocks that reminded Olivia like the fangs of a dragon. She swallowed, knowing that it would be arduous, and motioned for Joan to follow. The otter pokemon shook her head once more, possible thinking that her trainer was a lunatic, but nevertheless, followed her anyway. Somebody had to keep an eye on the human.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

Olivia shivered as she made her way down the trail, the air growing thicker and thicker with moisture from the fog, painting everything in a pale gray pallor, to the point where she could no longer see the sun in the sky. Due to the treacherous terrain, she had sent Joan back to her pokeball, even though the otter pokemon could help provide extra help and balance when needed; Olivia didn't want injury to come to her first pokemon. She winced as she brushed up against one of the rocks, seeing a faint trickle of blood run down her fingers, but they were numb to feel the sharp bite of the stone. She had bruised and cut herself more times than she cared to remember. She flexed her hand, seeing how bad the cut was. I was minor enough, thankfully, to only get a band-aid when she got the chance to reach into her pack later.

Rocks fell and tumbled under her boots as she fought to find better footing in this environment. It was no wonder that very few people went down here. If the legend of Kyurem didn't scare them off, then the environment did. This truly was a safe haven for the transplanted pokemon of Hoenn and Sinnoh. Nobody could get them down here.

A shadowy thing flew in front of her and she tripped back, startled. She watched it fly off into the sky, where it was swallowed up by the fog. It was the first thing she saw all day and Olivia thought that maybe she should have stayed in town today, but Olivia was brash, if not stubborn, and had to prove the Nurse Joy a point. Thankfully she brought all her supplies with her, just in case she had to camp in the chasm for the night.

She was beginning to see trees now and the thanked the Legendaries for a relatively safe passage into the Giant Chasm. The leaves of the trees were dripping with the cold water of the fog, the fiery reds, yellows and oranges drab with the overcoat of gray. The place was cold as it was miserable, but Olivia wasn't going to turn back now. She reached for Joan's ball, but thought otherwise. To send out a pokemon in this would scare whatever chances of finding the mysterious "strong pokemon" her brother told her about.

"Maybe Hil sent me down here to get rid of me," she grumbled to herself, her voice oddly odd in the area. Of course Hil was too "perfect" to do such a thing; he could do no wrong. It was probably just a bad day to go training. "I'll find you, you stupid pokemon, if you even exist out here. No wonder Kyurem or whatever the heck he is likes it here. It gray and miserable and freaking freezing. I should have worn another pair of socks."

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

_He awoke to a strange presence, in his home. He sniffed the air. What was it, he wondered. He snarled suddenly as he recognized it. The taint! The Beast of Truth decided to invade his home! As if destroying his true form wasn't enough, the Beast had to violate his territory as well! He screeched angrily, scattering the local bird pokemon. He stamped out of his cave, determined to make the intruder pay._

_ But wait, there was something else, a different smell in the air, one that he couldn't quite place. It was mingling with the scent of the Beast of Truth, a lighter smell. It was clouding his sense and he shook his head, trying to make sense of it. It smelt like, like..._

_ Human!_

_ No human has ever journeyed out here, into his territory. The last one who did was six full moons ago and Kyurem, The Frost King, took care of that intrusion. He stormed out into the open, deciding to find the human and to make them pay._

_.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-._

_ He wandered through the woods, the fog he created providing the perfect cover for his form, disguising his scent. The scent of the Tain and of the human was closer and closer and Kyurem knew he was on the right trail. Humans were such easy prey._

_ He froze, the sounds of branches breaking reaching his ears. He peeked through a grove out into an open glade, the fog providing no obstacle to his vision; he created it after all, perfect camouflage. He watched as a shadowy figure made their way through the glade, muttering their strange humans mutterings under their breath. He inched closer careful not to make any noise. This human looked different than the last one, with brown fur on their head and skin the color of fresh fallen snow. The human's eyes were the color of the sky when the leaves died and fell off. This human was distinctively female, he could smell that._

_ What he also smelled was the Taint of the Beast of Truth. He growled under his breath, the air cooling and crackling around him, slowly freezing the trees around him. Yet, as hard as he tried, he could not sense the Beast on her person. Humans carried pokemon in small round shells and He could sense them on the human bodies, but he could not sense Reshiram on her. It was a curious thing, a thing that demanded an explanation._

_ The Frost King sprung._

_.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-._

"Stupid rocks, stupid trees, stupid fog. . .," Olivia muttered under her breath, growing more and more moody. When she got back to the Center, she was going to make herself a _gigantic_ mug of hot chocolate and watch the sappiest chick flick she could think of.

But only after she let her brother have, to put it mildly. "This was a freaking suicide mission."

The air dropped in temperature as she finished, snap freezing the trees, the water droplets in the fog turning into ice crystals, freezing, then melting on her skin. Her heart raced as her breath came out in white puffs. Her hand reached for Caesar's pokeball, on edge and ready to fight. Was it Kyurem, or was it something else entirely.

_"Why are you here!" _A voice rang in her head. It was deep and resonating, reminding Olivia of Reshiram's voice, yet it was like cracking ice in her mind. She collapsed to her knees, her hands clutching at her ears. She half -expected them to be bleeding.

"What do you want!" Olivia screeched o the wind, which was now picking up to a fierce tempo, grabbing and ripping at her clothes and skin like long fingers. "Who are you!"

_"I am the Frost King and you have invaded my territory! Tainted child of the Beast of Truth, __Reshiram! You are in my home!"_

"Reshiram! I don't have him!"

_"LIES!_" The voice angrily shouted and Olivia screamed in pain as the voice blocked out all of her senses. Her head was fit to explode at this point. She curled up in the fetal position, weeping silently at the pain, her tears freezing on her cheeks. _"LIES!"_

In the fog of pain, Olivia turned her head, to see something moving towards her, with angry glowing golden eyes. The shadow moved towards her. _"LIES!"_ the voice screamed once again and Olivia shouted in pain.

She blacked out.

**One of the problems with writing Legendaries is giving them genders, for pronouns since you probably don't want to read 'Kyurem' all the time. So, for this story, Kyurem definitely has a masculine vibe and will be referred to as a 'he'. This is probably considered technically incorrect, since most Legendaries are genderless, but when I wrote him, he was definitely a male.**


	4. Chapter 3: Realm of Frost

Chapter 3: Realm of Frost

** It has been quite a while since I have updated this story. Do not fret though, for I do intend on finishing this story, since I've got a soft spot for Kyurem ahaha. Of course, in the wake of the Black/White sequels, one will probably consider this story an "AU" now. The story does possess elements from the sequels, but not enough to make it fit into the Black/White 2 storyline.**

** . . .It's really confusing. **

** Whoops.**

She found herself curled up in the middle of a cold floor in a cave, groggy and her head ringing. She didn't remember walking here, so she surmised that something put her here. But what? The last thing she remembered was something monstrous heading in her direction, with glowing eyes, and a voice yammering in her head.

She uncurled herself, her entire body now throbbing with the movement. She sat upright, pausing when she felt too dizzy. The first thing she noticed was how bitterly cold it was. It felt like an ice chest. She shivered and hugged her knees, hoping to gain some warmth back in her. The second was how dark it was, an inky darkness that obscured everything within arm's reach. She reached for her pack and pulled out a flashlight, trying to banish away the dark.

_"What are you doing?" _the voice asked.

"I just want to see," Olivia replied, frightened. "It's so dark."

_"You cannot see?"_

"Not very well."Olivia admitted. "Who are you?"

_"I am the Frost King of legend, and you are my prisoner."_ The voice answered, sending a shudder down Olivia's spine. So it was Kyurem that she heard then.

And in the glare of the flashlight, Olivia saw her captor for the first time. She gasped at the sight. The beast was bipedal, towering at least fifteen feet over her if she stood up. His head was bulky, squarish, with horns branching from his lower jaw and the top of his head,which was a pale blue color, like ice; Kyurem's head looked to be encased in it. One of the horns looked broken off at the middle. He had a gray body, with small, almost stumpy forearms, with short mutated wings sprouting from his back, also the same color of his face. At the tips of the Legendary's wings were two large horns, translucent, reminding Olivia of icicles. His tail was thick and short like that of Reshiram and Zekrom's, with pale blue horns and ridges. He looked misshapen and angry in his appearance, yet in his golden eyes, there was something, something she couldn't place. An emotion, she guessed. Pity? Sadness? She could not tell.

"Kyurem," she whispered.

The dragon inclined his head. _"Yes, I am Kyurem."_

"Why am I your prisoner?" she asked suddenly.

_"Because, you carry the taint of the Beast of Truth. He has come to taunt me, to mock my horrible and shriveled appearance. You brought him here."_

"The Beast of Truth? You mean Reshiram?"

_"Yes. You have the taint of Reshiram."_

"But I don't have Reshiram with me."

_"But you carry his taint."_

"You don't understand. I don't have Reshiram anymore. I set Reshiram free."

_"I don't understand!" _Kyurem sneered. _"_You_ don't understand! You carry the taint, therefore you're my prisoner!"_

Olivia clapped her hands over her ears. "Please don't yell. It hurts me." she whimpered.

_"I hurt you? You hurt me."_ Kyurem sounded wounded.

I didn't mean to hurt you. I didn't know, honest. Please, let me go." Olivia pleaded.

_"I'm afraid I cannot do that. You know too much about me, where I live. Therefore, I must keep you prisoner. To keep Reshiram from following me." _Kyurem watched as the human girl curled up upon herself and started to leak water from her eyes. A memory was triggered, that of the King's oldest son crying as a small child.

_ "What is the matter?" he had asked the weeping child. He was sitting on the ground, holding his knee._

_ "I hurted my knee," he boy said, pointing to his knee, revealing a large scrape, blood leaking from the wound. "It hurts really bad."_

_ Kyurem was at a loss for what to do. He bent his head down to inspect the wound. It looked worse than it actually did "Please don't cry," Kyurem said. "Crying makes me sad too."_

_ "But, my knee," the boy protested. "It really hurts. Can you fix it?"_

_ Kyurem gently touched the knee with his snout, focusing his energies into the knee, imagining it mending and stitching itself back together, whole and new. When he finished, he pulled away, he saw the knee was as Kyurem imagined it in his head, repaired and whole. The boy studied the healed injury solemnly, tilting his head to one side and another. "It doesn't hurt anymore!" he proclaimed. "It's kind of cold too. Thank you!" He reached out and hugged the dragon around his head and Kyurem felt a surge of happiness, the warmth of the boy leeching into his skin._

_ "You are very welcome, your highness."_

_ "Will you be around when I'm king?" the boy blurted out._

_ "I expect to. It is my duty to protect the king." _

_ "Good. I like you."_

_ "I like you too, your highness."_

The memory faded as quickly as it came and Kyurem found himself sad, yet angry all at once. It was the fault of the boy and his brother that made him this way. But, when he thought about how sad the boy had been, he felt sad, just as he felt sad when he saw the human girl crying in front of him. _"Please don't cry_." Kyurem crept closer to the human girl, feeling awkward and uncomfortable. _"It makes me sad when you cry."_

"I just want to go home," the human said, now making a strange hiccupy sound in between sobs.

_"But you can't go home,_" Kyurem explained. Then, he had an idea. _"Can this be your home?"_

"I don't see how."

_"This place is my home, it can be your home too."_

"It's cold."

_"I like the cold, it makes me feel alive._" Kyurem paused. _"But I know where it's warmer. Here," _he reached around and gently picked Olivia up by the back of her shirt, as a mother cat would do with kittens. She protested heartily at this. _"I can take you there."_

_.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-._

The back of the cave was slightly warmer than the entrance, much to Oliva's relief, but the stone floor was still bare. Kyurem placed her down gently and watched her curiously. _"What is the matter?"_

"It's awfully chilly," Olivia admitted. "but it is warmer than the other place."

_"Good."_

_ "_Am I allowed to make a fire?"

Kyurem snorted. _"I do not like fire. It hurts me."_

"But I'll freeze to death if I don't have one." Olivia argued.

Kyurem seemed to mull it over, his stony, almost chiseled face impassive. _"If you keep it away from me, then I will allow it."_

"Thank you!" Oliva almost got up to hug the Legendary, but thought better of it, sitting back down. "I'll have to get wood for the fire though."

_"I will accompany you, to make sure you don't escape," _Kyurem told her, eliciting a scowl from Olivia.

"I'm not going to escape," she protested.

_"I'm still going. I need sustenance."_

That had Olivia thinking. "What _do_ you eat?"

_ "I am a hunter,"_ Kyurem explained_. "I hunt the local pokemon for food. Arceus has placed them on a planet for a reason and I hunt them, grateful for the meat they provide."_

"You don't eat humans?"

_ "Why would I want to?_" Kyurem scoffed. _"Humans are weak and petty, with no consideration for their home and they are easy prey. They provide no sport."_

"Not all humans are weak," Olivia countered.

_ "The ones I have met were."_

_ "_Then you met the wrong kinds of humans."

_"Humans are humans."_

"Then what am I?"

Kyurem paused. _"A human."_

"I mean, am I weak?" Olivia pressed.

_"I don't know. You don't appear weak."_ Kyurem admitted., turning his face away from her angry expression.

"Good. I'm going out and getting wood. See you later." Olivia stormed out, leaving the ice dragon behind, wondering.

_"How much later?"_

_.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-_

"Stupid dragon and his stupid assumptions," Oliva grumbled, picking up pieces of wood that had fallen to the ground. The air was crisp and cold, with an almost chemical scent in the air, evidence of Kyurem's presence and Olivia pondered if Kyurem's mood affected the weather surrounding the Giant Chasm. "Not all humans are weak. Some are strong, like Cynthia and Lance, and Alder and. . ." she trailed off, thinking of the many gym leaders she encountered and heard of, and inevitably, the image of her brother popped in her head.

"Stupid brother and his idea of "training" out here. Did he even know there was a freakin' ice dragon out here? Knowing him, probably. . ." she picked up another piece of wood for her fire, placing it with the others tucked under her arm. "Why, oh why did I even think of this? I bet they're wondering what happened to me. . ." she sighed. Between she and her brother, she was the one who always called home, lest her mother worry about "her baby" being cold and alone in the wilderness. Her mother could have worried less about Hil, the much more "capable" one. She snorted. Hil couldn't cook or make a fire to save his life. She was the more capable one in the wilds of Unova. She stomped back to the cave she was to call "home", in hopes to get warmth.

When she entered the cave, she found it to be empty. Apparently, Kyurem had decided to leave to hunt without her. She would show him; she hadn't even thought of escaping at all, in all honesty. Anyone else in her position would have the entire time, sending all consequences flying out the window, but she hadn't.

Why?

She pondered it, arranging her kindling in a pile. She was afraid of Kyurem and the idea of the Legendary bringing his wrath down upon her for escaping was horrifying, to say the least. But there was something else as well. Kyurem didn't seem like that much of a monster. If anything, the dragon seemed, almost awkward to be around, like the Legendary was unsure how to deal with humans, his only contact with them in the tiny town of Lacunosa. That was where Kyurem got his rather narrow opinion of humans from, humans who were terrified of the Legendary's presence and in turn, corrupting Kyurem's vision of them. It was quite ironic, Oliva thought, satisfied with her tiny pile of kindling.

She reached for Caesar's pokeball, summoning the infernape. "Caesar, can you light this fire, without completely destroying it?" she asked, referring to the ape pokemon's fighting prowess and his tendency for overkill. Caesar shot her a glowering look and crouched in front of the fire. He blew on it softly, sending glowing embers off his breath and onto the pile of wood. The sparks lit the pile up and soon, there was a cheerily burning fire in Olivia's corner of her cave. She had originally thought of returning her pokemon to their pokeball, but decided not to. Instead, she would let all of her pokemon out. After all, if she was to be staying in Kyurem's cave for a while, then why not have the Legendary meet her pokemon?

She fumbled for the other pokeballs and one by one, she released each and everyone of them from their confining homes. "Well guys. . .and girls," she amended, referring to her samurott, Joan, Hoplon the bastiodon, and Oakley the krookodile. "We're going to be stuck here for a while." Joan shot her a questioning look, as if asking why. "Because I somehow managed to get myself captured by a freakin' Legendary. How's that for irony?"

_"What is irony?_ Kyurem asked, entering her area of the cave, carrying something, or things, between his vice like jaws.

"Irony is. . .it is. .humor, in sort of a ironic way. . ." Oliva fumbled for an explanation. The blank expression on Kyurem's face wasn't helping either. "It's hard to explain," she finished weakly. "What's that in your mouth?"

_"Fur," _ he replied, almost cheerfully. He knelt down and spat out the pile of furs, Olivia realized to her horror. _"I didn't want you to "freeze to death", as you humans would say. That wouldn't be good for my prisoner."_

Olivia's face seemed to turn a pale shade. "Fur? Like fur from pokemon?"

Kyurem pondered her question for a heartbeat_. "Yes, it is fur from pokemon. Do you get your fur from other places I do not know about?_

"You killed pokemon, for the fur?"

_"As I have said, Arceus has placed pokemon on the planet for a reason. We must be grateful for the fact. It is something that you humans have lost sight of."_

"We don't kill pokemon," Olivia explained. "For food or fur. Well, not any more. Only bad people kill pokemon, usually for sport or poaching."

Kyurem mulled Olivia's words over. The human was growing ever more fascinating by the heartbeat. She was, he had to admit, giving him an ever wider opinion of humans. _"So. . ."_ he began._ "If I kill pokemon, does that make me a bad pokemon also?"_

"You aren't bad, you kill because you need to," Olivia argued slowly, trying to determine what Kyurem was getting at. "If you killed, because you wanted to, not using the pokemon for food or fur, _then_ that makes you a bad pokemon."

_". . .I see." _Kyurem replied, stretching out across the cavern's floor, his golden eyes watching her constantly. _"You are not like most humans I have seen or met."_

"And you're not like most Legendaries I've met either," Olivia said right back.

_"Do not mention Reshiam or Zekrom in front of me!"_ Kyurem growled, nostrils flaring in agitation.

"I didn't mean it like that," Olivia amended hurriedly, hands out in front of her defensively. "I promise!"

_"You say this word quite frequently, this 'promise'. I have heard of such 'promises', but they broke theirs. This word is not as strong as you would believe."_ his eyes seemed to bore into her blue ones. _ "Will you break yours?"_

Olivia was surprised by Kyurem's choice of words. Clearly, the Legendary was hurt by something before. What, she did not know. If she could, she would go and do research, but she was imprisoned, under the will of the Frost King. She shook her head. "No, I do not break my promises."

Kyurem accepted this. _"Good." _ They settled down, both of them watching the small fire burn. Kyurem kept a safe distance back, The fires seemed to dance across his skin, those slick, sharp surfaces, like the edges of diamonds. The way the campfire cast shadows, it was like Kyurem was melting before her eyes. Kyurem seemed entranced by the flames and Olivia wondered what the pokemon was thinking. She inched closer to the fire, in hopes of regaining some warmth in her limbs.

She caught Kyurem's gaze. "Kyurem?"

_"What is it, human?"_

Olivia scowled at the dragon. "I have a name, you know, and I would appreciate it if you called me by it, since I'm going to be staying here for a while."

_"A name."_

"Yes, just how you're called Kyurem. Names, well, names are important in our world."

_"I might seal myself away from your world, but I know full well what a 'name' is. Names are powerful things. To know someone's name is to lord over them. You hold a part of them in yourself. To know a name is to create a connection between them and yourself."_

"I never thought of it that way before," Olivia admitted.

Kyurem nodded. _"Names are powerful things." _he paused. _"So, what is yours, human, since you know mine?"_

"Olivia."

_"Like the tree?"_

"Yes, like the tree."

_"It is a powerful name."_

"Thank you. . .Kyurem?"

_"What is it, huma-Olivia." _he corrected himself.

"I know this sounds like a silly question, but...may I, may I touch you?"

Kyurem reared back, nostrils flared and eyes wide. _"Why would you wish to do such a thing?"_

Olivia pondered that question herself for a moment. She shrugged. "I don't know, actually. But you look like you could use some affection, Mr. Grumpy Face."

Kyurem looked confused at her choice of words. Once, he had been loved, been touched. Many adored him, revered him for his words of wisdom, for leading the king through tumultuous times. He closed his eyes, a memory flickering across his mind's eyes like a flash of light:

_"Kyurem?"_

_ Kyurem had spent the day at his king's side, offering him advice as he dealt with the petty bickerings of his lords and nobles. It was a constant struggle, to deal with these people. Kyurem disliked the petty battles and dealings, of back room deals and the constant back-stabbing. It would make any sane man wish to put a dagger through his head. But, the king was a wise man, forcing the nobles to accept all the compromises. As he once told Kyurem, a good compromise was one that made nobody happy._

_ Kyurem looked down to find the king's younger son peering up at him. "Your Highness."_

_ "Hello Kyurem." the boy greeted shyly._

_ "Do you desire something?" Kyurem asked. _

_ The boy giggled. "You talk kind of funny. Like one of my dad's knights. They're kind of sticks in the mud."_

_ "Oh." Kyurem mulled this revelation over. "Am I a 'stick in the mud'?"_

_ The young boy giggled again. "Of course not! You're my favorite. You're nice." he stopped. "May I have a ride, please?"_

_ "A ride?"_

_ The boy pointed to the gap between Kyurem's wings. "On your shoulders."_

_ "Very well then, Your Highness." Kyurem knelt, allowing the boy to clamber on. The boy laughed the whole time, seating himself comfortably on Kyurem's shoulders._

_ "This is fun!" the boy laughed, his voice clear and sharp, like a horn call, music to the dragon's ears. "Let's go for a ride!"_

_ Kyurem's eyes crinkled in mirth as he stomped around the king's great hall, carefree and joyful, soaking in the moment._

"Kyurem?" Olivia said, shaking the dragon from his reverie. "Was it a yes?"

Kyurem stopped, trying to hold onto the memory, but is slipped out of his grasp and of his mind's eye. It was tragic, to recall all these beautiful memories, to know full what what happened in the future. _"If you see a need to." _ he said, almost reluctantly.

Olivia said nothing, crawling around the fire's edge, to find herself inches away from Kyurem's fearsome visage. She took a steadying breath, reaching out slowly with a single hand, to touch his snout. Her fingertips brushed against the smooth, cold skin, sending a shiver up her spine, but she fought through it, resting her entire hand on him. Kyurem nearly went cross-eyed, watching her do this. With her other hand, she reached underneath his jaw, to touch the cold spikes that jutted out. Her finger traced the lines of his lower jaw, before settling back at just near his chin. She slowly began to stroke the dragon under the muzzle, enjoying the cool smooth feeling of his skin. They sat in silence as she stroked him. Kyurem's golden eyes were transfixed to her, probably too stunned to say anything. They reminded Olivia of liquid pools of molten gold, when he was not angry or rude with her. It was nice, to sit like this. Maybe, Olivia thought, maybe Kyurem would let her go.

Someday.

They sat in silence for a little longer, Kyurem's eyes growing half-lidded. Then, he jerked away from her touch, eyes wide and awake once more. He snorted, shaking his head, like he was trying to be rid of the moment. As Olivia knelt there, he watched her cautiously. He snorted once again, blowing streams of bitter cold air.

_"I will be resting. You should get some sleep."_

The dragon stormed off to unknown depths of the cafe. Oliava looked down at her hands, feeling how cold they were. Truly, he was the Frost King, for even the mere touch would summon shivers down one's spine. But still, it was a nice feeling. Different, that slick, smooth surface was, but nice, nonetheless.

The dragon was hiding something though, Olivia thought to herself. It was the only thing she could think of, taking his behavior into account. But what? What could have upset the dragon so greatly, that even a mere touch could send him storming off with the fury of a miniature blizzard.

Only time, it would seem, would bring her the answers she wanted.


	5. Chapter 4: Escape

Chapter 5: Escape

Night passed over the prison like a blanket,shrouding everything in its embrace. The stars shone above in thousands, splatters of color across a black velvet sky. The prison was quiet at this time of night, when the prisoners were either asleep in their bunks, or quietly going along some activity or another. A handful of guards patrolled the walls surrounding the compound, their boot steps echoing on the drab gray walls, barbed wire in coils spanning them. The guards, with their pokemon at their side, were the only signs of life at this hour, right in the middle of dusk and dawn.

But then, a flash of white, near one of the towers. The guard at his post took nothing of it, not even seeing. Had be paid attention though, he could have prevented a disaster.

Three shadowy figures pranced out from the darkness, running close to the walls of the prison system. The lead figure, clad in black, took the first leap, bounding nearly fifteen feet in the air in a show of almost unnatural agility and strength. He clung to the almost invisible cracks in the walls, using them to assist in his climb up. The other two, watching his progress, soon mirrored his actions as well, following his every move and path.

The first figure nimbly crested the wall, his slender figure avoiding the barbed wire that topped the wall. He landed in a somersault, his feet landing lightly, making little noise. The other two followed behind him, echoing his every move.

The first guard ran down the parapet of the prison wall, stopping when he thought the nearby guards would flash their flashlights on him, revealing his position. They seemed oblivious to his presence. The figure ran a little more, stopping every now and then.

The guard he had been worrying the most about took a 180 degree turn, his flashlight landing squarely in front of the figure.

At first, the guard made no reaction, when his eyes saw he silhouette of the man standing before him. His brain caught up with his eyes at last, and he sputtered. "What the?. . ."

the figure reacted in a matter of milliseconds, whipping something out of his clothing, flinging the mysterious item at the guard. The item flew in a metallic blur, before lodging into the guard;s throat. He sunk to the ground, gurgling as the shurikan the figure threw, protruded out, blood slowly pooling out. The figure knelt and yanked the shurikan out, wiping the man's blood off the metal, using the scarf he kept around his face. He tucked the weapon away onto his person.

He took a look down to his left, eying the drop he would have to take, to get ever closer to his goal. He nodded curtly to the other two behind him and they took a simultaneous leap together, off the prison's walls and into the inner reaches of the compound. They kept close to the wall, hugging the shadows close to them as they headed ever closer to the main building, where their target was at.

Two guards were holding watch over the main building of the prison. The leading figure flung a shurikan into one of the guard's chest, while the one right behind him managed to slit the throat of the other with a razor thin dagger, cradling the guard's head as he sunk to the earth. Both died without a sound. The third reached down, fishing a ring full of keys off one of their belts. From there, it was a simple task of breaking into the prison.

As they entered, they took a quick glance at each other, nodding in silent agreement. One of them peeled off from the others, presumably to head towards the room where the cameras were being watched and studied. The other two went straight down the hallway, towards the heart of the prison, where the more dangerous criminals were being kept.

..-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

It was a silent night for the guard, Christopher, as he leaned back in his comfortable seat, eyes flickering to the multiple screens laid out before him. The halls were silent, and none of the prisoners made any movement whatsoever. Not a peep at all. He reached for the lukewarm coffee he was idly sipping through the night, to keep from dozing off during the night. Caffeine was not only consumed regularly by the prison guards, but it flowed through their veins. Next was the bite from his burrito, one packed with scrambled eggs, sausage—synthetic, of course-, potatoes, and a hefty drizzle of hot sauce, the Charizard Fire brand. The meal would inevitably leave him with indigestion and/or heartburn in the morning, but boy, was it delicious.

There was a flash on one of the screens, capturing his attention. He sat upright in his seat, eyes squinting as he studied the screen. He swore he saw something, a person maybe, with shock white hair and a scarf. He took a glance at the mug of coffee in his hand, wondering if caffeine messed with a person's mind. He scowled at the screens for a few more minutes, wondering if he could catch this mysterious figure on another camera, but there was nothing. Christopher merely shrugged and leaned back in his seat once again.

The room was eerily silent, with only the sounds of his meal and the low soft buzz of the technology—if somewhat outdated-around him. He mumbled something under his breath about the 'quiet', and reached for the small hand held radio within reach on his desk. With his thick meaty hand, Christopher picked up the device, fiddling with it as he searched for the right station. The room was filled with the sound of static as he tried to find the proper station.

At last, he found one, a station that played classic rock music. As the radio played, he failed to hear the squeak of the door hinges as it was slowly pushed opened.

He failed to hear the sound of the small knife leaving the sheath and slicing across his throat.

The shadowy figure slipped past the body, to the many screens displayed across the desk. He frowned, trying to discern which one to silence. He decided to reach under the table, to simply pull the plug from the socket. All the screens blacked out at once. The man, seeing his task done, sharply exited the room, no longer fearing the shadow of the security system hovering over him.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

He met up with the other two in the deepest part of the prison system, where the most dangerous criminals were kept in isolation, away from the others. The cells were nothing more than blocks within blocks, with only a thick, sturdy door and a small window on the opposite wall. According to their insider, their target was kept in cell 23-19 B, on the second level in the wing. They scanned the scene for guards and any awake prisoners, should any be inclined to talk, in exchange for benefits and deals. There was none, for the guards had no worries about these criminals. They did not share rooms, and they were kept in small isolated rooms, away from the others.

They found themselves in front of the cell they were looking for, faced with a set of double locks. The first was an overall one. In a small room away from this section, there was a button that would unlock all the locks in that area simultaneously. The second was an individual lock, which was where the keys came in. the individual lock was originally built into the door when the prison was originally constructed, but they were no longer in use as the technological advantage of a collective was put in place. The insider, a Team Plasma agent, found a way to replicate the key to undo the lock illegally, allowing for them to free their target easily.

Thankfully, while there were advantages, such as an expedient lock down and the ability to simply undo the locks from a safe distance, there was one very bad disadvantage. The individual lock can override the collective lock. Granted, the keys to all the original locks were destroyed, but one could create the key and easily get out. There were security policies in place to prevent this sort of thing, but not if the key was made on the outside, as this one was.

The key fit easily into the lock like a hand would fit into a silken glove. There was an audible click and the door slowly opened, revealing their target: a man, with long pale green hair, streaks of gray more prominent, older, with what appeared to be an eye patch over his right eye.

The three men knelt down to one knee, shielding their faces from the elder man. "Lord Ghetsis," they intoned, three voices speaking as one whole. "We have come for you, for you to fulfill your glorious plan of conquest."

The man, Ghetsis, nodded in approval. "Good, good. You have done well, my Shadow Triad. Now, we must take our leave at last." He tidied his clothes, a drab beige prison uniform, and smartly exited the cell back straight and head held high, acting more like a professional business man than a now escaped convict. The Shadow Triad followed shortly behind him, shielding him from the dangers around.

As they passed one of the cells, one of the prisoners awoke, gawking at the scene and the relative ease one of their own escaped. Just as he began to ope his mouth, to alert the guards, the left most member of the Triad opened the narrow slot built into the wall, and quickly flung a shuriken through it, catching the prisoner in the throat. The prisoner collapsed to the ground without a sound.

Without many of the guards to stop their progress, they set a brisk pace without fear of triggering any of the alarms or the security, for those had been disabled. They managed to find their way into the deeper bowels of the system, where many of their supplies, food, clothing and what not were kept. It was much colder down their, but it was not noticed among the men. They wandered over to where the vehicles were kept, white vans that would bring in the wholesale supplies. They would often come in during the early hours of the morning, so to leave at any other time, it would trigger suspicion and alarm among those who worked there.

Thankfully, it was nearing that time of the morning and to casual observers, they were merely leaving to go out for a supply run. There was a driver already waiting for them hovering anxiously near one of the vans, one dressed in the Team Plasma uniform, gray, like a knights outfit. The symbol, which was normally emblazoned across the front, was missing, probably to keep his true allegiance a secret. He saluted Ghetsis smartly. "Lord Ghetsis!" he sputtered. "It is very good to see you!"

Ghetsis merely nodded. The Team Plasma grunt hurried toward the back, opening the back of the van up. "It is not the luxury you are used to," the grunt apologized. "But it is the best for your escape." Ghetsis said nothing, and climbed in, sitting crosslegged, patient. The Shadow Triad followed behind their leader, seating themselves around the man, should they need to shield them from outsiders. The grunt climbed into the driver's seat and the engine roared to life shortly after. He reached for a small button that would open the garage up, allowing them to leave.

The van zipped out of the lower confines of the prison and out of a small gate in the back, where they were ignored by any guards who happened to see the van go by. After all, what need would there be to stop it, if all it was going to do was to retrieve supplies? They watched the van go through, unaware that it was carrying out a payload far more precious than food, clothing and other miscellaneous supplies.

It was carrying a mad man.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Ghetsis spoke first, after being quiet for so long. "What news of my son? N?"

One of the Shadow Triad answered. "From what we last heard, N was somewhere in Kanto, trying to stay as under the radar as he could."

"All while containing a powerful Legendary in a mere pokeball? How can one fathom that they would stay 'under the radar'?"

The man nodded. "Yes, Lord Ghetsis."

"And of my plan? Any word on the exact location of Kyurem? The Hollow One?"

"We have managed to narrow down the location somewhere in the eastern area of Unova. We are still trying to verify this though, using local legends and news casts."

"You realize that a generalized location is not good enough for me, no?"

The Triad were visibly shaken by this off-handed remark. "We realize this, Lord Ghetsis. From what information we have received, the majority of stories point to an area around Lacunosa Town."

"So it would appear that was where his corpse fell, when he was torn asunder. Interesting. . ." Ghetsis mused. "When we arrive at headquarters, I wish to be alone, in my library."

"Yes, Lord Ghetsis."

"And when we arrive, I an ordering you to find my son and bring him home, here, alongside me."

"Yes, Lord Ghetsis."

The van fell silent, the Shadow Triad in their own thoughts. Ghetsis closed his eyes, imagining what Kyurem must have been like, when it was in its original form. How glorious it must have been, to see the beast in control of all the plasma elements, alongside its intended ruler, dominating all of Unova.

And Ghetsis planned on doing so again, ushering a new glorious age for the region.


End file.
